![]() ![]() Rugby World Cup 2023: Johnny Sexton says Ireland 'not carrying World Cup baggage' The next few weeks in France will be a golden chance for Ross Byrne, Sexton's long-time understudy at Leinster, and newcomer Jack Crowley to audition for the number 10 jersey.īut make no mistake, even at 38 - the third-oldest World Cup player ever - Sexton is still Ireland's main man in France. Ireland have always been able to rely on him, but his shadow has loomed large over his potential successors down the years, with Joey Carbery the most high-profile casualty. His longevity in the cut-throat Test battleground has been both a blessing and a curse. Not even a Lions snub in 2021, which he admitted "hurt like hell", could dim his desire to reach new heights. Three more titles followed, the second of which kick-started his annus mirabilis in 2018 when he starred in Ireland's Grand Slam, a first series win in Australia in 39 years, a memorable defeat of the All Blacks in Dublin and Champions Cup and Pro14 successes with Leinster, earning him World Rugby's player of the year award.įive years on and his prominence is still incontestable. It proved a nightmarish venture, but he continued to thrive at Test level, emerging as a key figure in the British and Irish Lions' successful tour to Australia before starring in Ireland's Six Nations triumph - his first - in 2014. The following year, in 2013, he left Leinster for Racing Metro. ![]() Such humiliation would be enough to swallow some players up. He once played in an Ireland team that lost 60-0 to New Zealand. In the years after stepping out of O'Gara's shadow, he masterfully positioned himself as Ireland's conductor-in-chief. "I'm very happy with where I'm at, obviously going into a game a little bit different but hopefully I can lean back on experiences from before."Įxperiences? There have been a few in his 113 caps. ![]() "Trying to do bits every day, even on a day off today, trying to get down for 20 minutes and do a little bit and then move on. ![]() "The early stages, I had to be very careful on the back of the surgeon's advice, just making sure I built into it, but over the last month I've been able to practice a good bit and trying to keep it little and often really. Sitting beside head coach Andy Farrell, the 38-year-old was asked if he has adjusted his kicking sessions since having groin surgery. Sexton's readiness was an inevitable topic during his pre-match media duties. He will stride on to the Stade de Bordeaux pitch having not kicked a ball competitively in nearly six months. 'I'm happy with where I'm at' Sexton hopes to extinguish the pain of previous World Cups, including the 2019 quarter-final defeat by New Zealand On Saturday afternoon, Sexton will lead Ireland out in the bruising Bordeaux heat for the start of what is probably the most keenly-anticipated World Cup odyssey in the team's history. It stung, but it was a small price to pay given that he still has the chance to go where no Irish captain has gone before in rugby's most illustrious arena. Slapped with a three-match ban, Sexton was denied the pageantry of a Lansdowne Road farewell against England last month before Ireland jetted off to France. He watched on as La Rochelle - coached by Munster icon O'Gara - stormed Dublin and took the European Cup back to France.Įnraged by Jaco Peyper's performance, Sexton's decision to confront the referee in the immediate aftermath of that game plunged his World Cup participation into doubt.īut the rugby gods, who have gifted the fly-half with a supreme right foot and a magnetic aura only few are blessed with, chose mercy. Sidelined, Sexton was robbed of a closing chapter with Leinster. The groin injury that forced him off against England was a season-ender. It wasn't long, however, before Sexton was jolted out of his reverie. Indeed, having surpassed predecessor Ronan O'Gara's Six Nations scoring record that day, he compared the Grand Slam to "living in a dream". ![]()
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